Turkey’s Viral Olympian Yusuf Dikec Took Up Shooting After Divorce? A Fact-check

Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 in the 10m air pistol competition, became a viral sensation for his “gearless” look. His casual demeanour and the decision to not wear protective earplugs or special lenses made him a social media trend. Yusuf Dikec wore regular spectacles and a team T-shirt, his left hand nonchalantly resting in his pants pocket. 

Several rumours circulated after he won the medal, one of which said that the 51-year-old took up shooting following a tumultuous divorce. Some social media users also claimed that Dikec was a mechanic who turned to shooting following a challenging divorce.

A Facebook page published a post claiming to explain his background, describing him as a mechanic who took up shooting following a rocky divorce. The post also claimed that Dikec took a jibe at his former spouse while receiving his silver medal.

However, the narrative was a complete satire.

According to a People report, Dikec started shooting competitively in 2001, following his employment with the Gendarmerie General Command as a non-commissioned officer. 

He’s a four-time Olympian, having competed in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Dikec went into detail about his distinctive shooting method in an interview with the Turkish broadcaster TGRT Haber. He described his shooting method as one of the “rare shooting techniques in the world.” 

He claims that even the referees are taken aback by his practice of shooting with both eyes open.

Dikec went on to say that given their intense training, a medal was expected. “This year we prepared a lot and worked a lot… this success belongs to all of Turkey.” 

He is not done yet. He informed reporters that he and his teammate Sevval Ilayda Tarhan are looking forward to competing in the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.